


Last Vow

by K3R



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, It Gets Better Project, Multi, One-Sided Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-18
Updated: 2014-08-18
Packaged: 2018-02-13 15:59:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2156568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/K3R/pseuds/K3R
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sherlock gets into a fight with his best friend John about something that has been bothering him for a long, long time. Will Mary be able to help the boys get through it? And what interesting proposition has she come up with to keep the peace?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Last Vow

**Author's Note:**

> Mkay, so this is my first ever posting on Archive! So even though I would absolutely adore comments, please use them to help my writing flourish, not to destroy my confidence. Thank you. I hope you all like this, I had fun writing it.  
> Thank you, K3R.

Sherlock stares blankly at Mary as she worries away at a spot of inch thick dust on the coffee table.  
"Look at the state this place is in Sherlock! Your mother would kill you, she really would, you know..."  
He shrugs passively.  
He isn't all too interested in another off complaint about his hygienics and the state of his old flat; today his focus is solely on what had happened that morning.  
That and the severe trouble that awaited him when he accompanied Mary home.  
But that wasn't what he was focusing on now. He was going over the past events of the day, trying to piece together what had gone on...  
.....  
His interest had been roused by a passing comment made by his partner, John, that very morning. He had been chatting idly with Mary when she had made a funny little comment to him, causing the doctor to give one of those pitchy giggles that Sherlock secretly liked so much.  
"My love," he had cooed, causing Sherlock's eyes to roll in disgust (he despised the pet names they gave to one another), "you two do really act alike sometimes. You're both so witty, frighteningly sharp," He rounded on the detective whom had begun to stab at his toast in a dejected manner, "Wouldn't you agree mate?"  
"Hmmm?" Sherlock's mind was elsewhere that morning it seemed, "Yeah, I do think leaks have a sharp stench to them too..."  
Humor and snarky comments usually worked on a chattering doctor... at least it covered up for when Sherlock was completely lost on a subject.  
"I never mentioned anything about leaks mate..."  
"Yes but you know Japanese leaks smell like onions when stea-"  
"As I was saying, you and Mary are so much alike." John had interjected grumpily.  
Ah was that what he had said?  
Since the subject had been cleared, Sherlock had taken it upon himself to harp upon the situation.  
He had groaned heavily, "Why are you getting upset? And what do you mean by we have a lot in common, what does that have to do with anything? At least my conversations have meaning to them!"  
"Leaks Sherlock!"  
"Exactly!"  
"What do leaks have to do with anything?!?!"  
"Mary?" The detective spun half-round to address the madly giggling woman, she hid her mouth in between slender fingers.  
"Yes ducky?" she answered.  
"One, don't call me that."  
"Alright ducky."  
Sherlock paused to give a half hearted glare, "Leaks... Can you make them...?" he finished slightly disgruntled.  
"Oh, of course!" she had smiled softly.  
"That's settled, you see John? Meaningful."  
The doctor grumbled a bit to himself, "I still think you're a lot alike." he had ended the sentence with a menacing chomp to a sausage.  
It was Sherlock's turn to glare, "We really aren't John. Quit deluding yourself."  
Mary's ears had perked at the sheer swiftness of this dejection. It seemed almost as if Sherlock was trying to rouse the doctor into explaining without... Well outright asking.  
John had scoffed, "Why on earth would I be deluding myself, I really do think you two can act the same!"  
Mary giggled behind her hands.  
Sherlock scoffed, "Oh thank you Dr. Watson... Now I'm a giggly female with absolutely no regards for the obviously boiling coffee..."  
"Whoops!" Mary fled to retrieve the shrieking kettle, not needing to revert her eyes. The boys had constant spats, yet she could never really take them seriously, they were more like little love spats that she experienced with John. The woman giggled, the boys could be so cute and clueless sometimes. She really could see a lot of similarities between them as well.  
"No, Sherlock. It's not because your a female!" John sighed.  
"Is it the way we dress?"  
"What???"  
"Well," Sherlock glanced sheepishly over to a coat rack with a couple of scarves, their winter apparel could match occasionally.  
"God no!"  
"Well, you know, it could be something about our trigger happy attitudes..."  
John had groaned inwardly at the reminders of the Mary and the detective's.... Face off. But then again his partner did have a point... In the older days whenever Sherlock had gotten too terribly bored…  
Not the point, he was getting sidetracked.  
"No Sherlock, you're looking too far into it... I swear sometimes you use far too much of that brain of yours."  
The detective simmered, "You are due to use more..."  
Mary had groaned inwardly. It was always like this; the bickering and petty fighting that hid so much of their true emotions under the surface... God they would cover so much more ground if those two would actually wake up long enough to realize that they were just a bit more than mates to one another. She really never could say she would mind it if they did; she knew how John felt for her. He would never leave her, loved her dearly, and would always in his own way... But the same with Sherlock... She inwardly confessed that she wouldn't mind... A bigger family…  
"You really think your clever don't you, you prick!"  
"Oh no, I am."  
"Really then? Really?!?! You know you could do with a bit of humility!"  
"Oh if I were to feel humility I would end up married just like you wouldn't I?"  
Everyone froze, Mary's eyes slowly wandered over to her husband. His fingers twitched in obvious frustration, face set in a fierce scowl, eyes hungry for a fight. And yet... He was obviously confused by the accusation. She had let her eyes wander to Sherlock. He had been hovering a few feet away from the doctor now, in a stance that would suggest that if all were to go horribly wrong that he would be out the door quickly enough. He held one of his stony poker faces all the way up until his eyes... Oh god his eyes.... Mary had held back a gasp at the raw emotion she assumed that the detective had lacked... There it is... There is their moment of truth....  
John's voice had jolted her back into reality.  
"What in the bleeding hell does that mean?"  
There had been a painfully long moment of chilled silence.  
"It means... It means..."  
Sherlock Holmes was faltering...  
"Go on. Tell me, tell us, Sherlock. What does marriage have anything to do with my obvious humility...?"  
Sherlock Holmes never faltered.  
"It's... Nothi-" he began, but was cut off.  
"No, no, no. Don't you dare say its fucking nothing..."  
Yet there they had been; with him cracking under the pressure…  
He had stepped back then, slowly at first, then quickening his step when John's chair legs scraped the floor... His body had acted on pure instinct.  
.....  
He had reached the sanctity of Mrs.Hudson's flat in a matter of twenty minutes, feeling a deep shame pooling in his gut.  
She had accepted him warmly, cooed over him knowingly. Smiling, she had pried about their most recent 'domestic.' He had gone ridged and denied it feverishly, she left it alone.  
Half an hour had passed in hot tea and fresh little cakes, catching up on all the latest in crime, mercifully avoiding any and all subject of John or his wife. At least, until she had shown up.  
Mary, he deducted, had dressed quickly, come in a cab, and was here to fetch him from his sanctity. "Sherlock darling... And dear Ms. Hudson!" She had greeted warmly, kissing the elder woman's cheek as well as the detective's. "Well I came to ask for our detective back but it seems like you've got him in deep conversation! Must be about your exciting youth, eh?"  
Ms. Hudson had giggled, "Ah but of my youth, when dinosaurs walked the earth!"  
Even Sherlock hadn't held back a smile…  
"Yes, well," Ms. Hudson had continued mirthfully, "I would very much like to keep him a while longer my dear, you know I very well don't get to see him that often anymore, with him living up there with the two of you... I've been missing both of my boys..."  
Thank goodness for Ms. Hudson.  
There had been an understanding nod from Mary .  
Sherlock then eased himself back into a natural sitting position, no longer curled in on himself, avoiding Mary's eyes feverishly.  
"But I do need to speak with him, please."  
Damn.  
.....  
Half an hour later and there they were.  
"Boring..." He mumbled beneath his breath, a sigh of defeat edging his tone. Mary smiled fondly.  
"Ducky-"  
Sherlock shot a weak glare.  
"A-ah..." Mary had to bite her lip to hold back the giggle, "Um, darling, please... Please understand that we're not..." She stopped herself quickly, lying wouldn't work; she may not be mad at him but John was livid, much more so out of worry for Sherlock's sudden flight. "You need to come home, Sherlock darling..."  
"And what if I don't want to...?"  
Mary did giggle at this, he really was a child. Frighteningly brilliant, but childish all the same, "Then I bring him here for... A family intervention of sorts. We could invite Mycroft..."  
There was that glare again, yet so much stronger this time.  
"Why can't you just drop it? It really isn't that important anymore, I was upset! Okay, that's all the comment was." He lowered his head and Mary could barely see the flash of blue beneath the dark ringlets that shrouded his face. "You see, this is why I strive for emotionless, clean cut statistics. There is no drama in the art of deduction."  
"Yes darling but life, your life in particular, will always be packed with drama due to the occupation.. And your loved ones not to mention."  
He scoffed, eyes glancing up hopefully.  
She smiled lovingly at him,  
"We love you Sherlock, so much, we really do..." She could see those blue eyes widen in shock from beneath the curls, oh god help her, he was adorable. "Yes, you."  
"And even though John is such a hard arse, he loves you as well... Much more than you may ever know." Well if they couldn't say it out loud at least she could.  
"He has for a very, very long time."  
His head snapped up and Mary could feel her heart skip a beat; he looked near tears, yet holding back due to the mortification of sentiment, "He married you."  
Mary bit her lip and shifted her left leg over her right on John's chair, "He had to do something with himself... So he tried to forget... But along the way, he fell in love again, without ever really falling out of love in the first place." She knew that all of this was probably lost on to him, but dammit, he needed to know.  
His brows knitted in obvious confusion, his lips clenching together in a hard line,  
"Why are you telling me this...? If my knowledge upon the subject of marriage is correct, and you really are telling the truth about all of this; shouldn't you hate me?" He pulled in on himself a tad when she leaned forward to touch a reassuring hand to his knee, "Or at the very least not want me near him...?"  
"I-If it were anyone else... yes I would." She confessed slowly.  
Dammit, he looked even more confused.  
"If it were not you Sherlock, I would hate the both of you... but with all the two of you have been through, All that you have felt for one another, all that you have done for him, given up for him... Sherlock you died for him twice. Once figuratively once literally, sorry for the last one, but you did do it. I may have fallen in love with him, and I won't give him up even to you, but I am willing to share. I found him mourning the loss of the only person to ever capture more than a common crush. You and I are his everything, and you were here first so I really feel like it's owed to you both. So yeah, Sherlock with all of this history and deep, raw emotion that you both hold for one another, how on earth could I try and split you apart...? Again I say, if it were not you, it would be so different. But it is you... So I understand."  
The words took a couple of minutes to sink in, both of them acted as though one word could set them over the edge in this time. Mary was worried that she may have broken him, a look of shock, anger, joy, depression... All completely devoid of his face as he searched her's. Sherlock, if anything, seemed to be nonchalant to the subject.  
Was she wrong...?  
"No one in their right mind would be so open to something like this, Mary." he whispered grimly.  
He didn't believe her.  
Her breath hitched at the words, "But I am." she stated, eyes set and determined. "Don't believe me? Ask John."  
Sherlock drew back in on himself as if the name burned his flesh, "N-No..."  
"Look, darling I know this frightens you and that all of these emotions are really new, but I really want this for you both, for all of us in fact. It would help out your relationship, our relationship, if John wasn't always waiting for the chance he never took! Don't you understand Sherlock? He needs this! He needs us both something awful, wants to love you and I, but while the both of us are together you are missing from his life..."  
Her eyes widened when Sherlock growled at her,  
"This is low even for you, this deception! What I can't figure out Mary Watson is what you gain from all of this 'love', what does it bring to you? His happiness? Ha! You are a selfish being like all of the rest! I know you are lying, you have to be, there is n-no way you would give up this one chance of normality for someone that never even had the chance to be a lover!!!"  
In this moment she could feel her heart breaking.  
"I could never have had him. Never. He would have been ashamed of me." His voice gave way on the dreaded word, ashamed. Mary could practically hear her heart crack, "He was to old fashioned, not normal, but normal enough to where it wouldn't... It could never have worked, and it won't work now... Back then there could always be those times where it was just us! John Watson and I against the rest of the goddamned, hate filled world and god it felt more right than anything! He could be near me and it could be friendship... I could lie for a few years, say that I was indifferent, when really I was being torn to bits by every other woman who passed through these doors! All I could do was scare them off and hope they wouldn't stick... Damn you Mary... Damn you."  
The tears finally had began to flow freely down his cheeks, dripping onto the backs of the trembling hands resting on his lap.  
"Damn, damn, damn you," he croaked from trembling lips, his whole frame wracked with heavy tremors; he was trying so hard to hold back. "When I came back, I was going to tell him... Tell him at the restaurant."  
Mary choked on a sob.  
"And you can figure out the rest from there."  
"Oh Sherlock...."  
"It has been done." his voice was solemn once more, quickly loosing its emotional ties, even though he made no move to stop the tears. "You have him now, so by god you should keep him happy in any way you can." His eyes locked with hers in a second, fierce and full of something indescribable, "But know this Mrs. Watson.... I will never stop... Never stop feeling this way, never. So whatever you are doing here... Whatever trick you are trying to pull, it won't daze me."  
She nodded feverishly and smiled hopefully,  
"Why not tell him yourself darling... Or maybe I-?"  
The detective's eyes narrowed into tearful slits, "You will not breathe a word of this to him... To anyone, ever. Nothing that has been said here will be repeated or even mentioned. Do you understand me?"  
She bit her lip hard.  
"Am I clear…?"  
Her eyes widened a bit and her gaze flinted to the doorway.  
Sherlock assumed it was Ms. Hudson coming to check in on them, yet that didn't excuse Mary's in attentiveness.  
"Mary, for god's sakes pay attention! Am I clear?"  
There was silence and then…  
"Crystal," John mumbled from the doorframe, tears in his eyes.


End file.
